Inlet manifold



A. T. KASLEY INLET MANIFOLD Filed Nov. 20, 1920 ATTORNEY Patented Feb.t6, 1923.. f

' l'.UNHT STTS pensavi rant carica.

ALEXANDER T. KASLEY, OF ESSINGTON, PENNSLYVANIA, SSIGNOR T0 WESTING-HOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION F PENN- SYLVANIA.l

INLET MANIFOLD.

. Application filed November. 20, 1920. Serial No. 425,498.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER T. KAS- LEY, acitizen of the United States. and a l resident of Essington, in thecounty of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Inlet Manifolds, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to internal combus- 'tion engines and it hasparticular reference to a construction of inlet manifolds to be employedin connection with Diesel engines and it has for an object to provide anew and effective means for supplying air to the inlet ports of internalcombustion engines, especially of the character designated.

It is well known that the efficiency of an internal combustion engine,particularlyY of the Diesel type, is increased by thorough scavenging7and that the new charge of air to be compressed on the return stroke ofthe piston should be as free asv possible from burned gases of thepreceding charge. It frequently happens in the` operation of twocycleengines that the burned gases in the Yengine cylinder are, at the firstopening of the air port, under a higher pressure than that of the air inthe inlet manifold, a condition which produces a rush of burned gasesinto the air inlet manifold. These burned gases are mixed with theincoming air and drawn into the cylinder, materially decreasing thepower of the succeeding stroke. t

I am enabled, by my invention, to prevent this disadvantageous back flowof burned gases by providing a constant flow of pure air past the inletports so that if any burned gases are forcedV into the inlet manifold"during the early opening of the air ports, they are carried away by theair current and hence are prevented from reentering the engine cylinder.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a diagrammaticlsectional viewof an engine cylinder equipped with an air inlet arrangementVconstructed in accordance with my invention and 'Fig'. 2 is a similarview, illustratinganother embodiment of my invention.

In Figure 1 of thedrawing, I show an internal combustion engine.- ofthe'usual twocycle type, comprisinga cylinder- 10 inwhich a piston 11 isarranged to reciprocate-and provided with a piston-controlled inlet port12 and exhaust port 13. Theexhaust port 13 open into a chamber 14; fromwhich the burned gases are dischar ed by any suit-l able evacuatingdevice. ejector 15 extends into the is arranged to discharge through adiffuser 16.

An air inlet manifold is provided to supply a constantly moving streamof air past the inlet port 12.- It may be of any conformation suitableto produce the desired flow of air and 'as shown comprises a U- shapedconduit 17 having a down-flow passage 18 and an up-flo'w passage 19. Theup-flow passage 19 is contiguous to the engine jacket and isconsequently maintained at a higher temperature than the down-flowpassage 18, due to heat transmitted from the engine. As a result of thisconstruction, a constant flow of air is produced within the U-shapedconduit in accord with the well known thermo-Siphon principle.

Having thus described the arrangement of a device constructed inaccordance with my invention, the operation thereof vis as folsillustrated, an chamber 14 and the exhausted gases ,lowsz Upon theoutward 'or power stroke of the piston of an internal combustion engine,it is customary, especially when the engine is running at high speeds,that the air port be opened at a time when the pressure in the cylinderis higher than the pressure of the air inthe inlet manifold. Under theseconditions. exhaust gases rush outward-ly through the air port into theinlet manifold. The relation of the inlet manifold to the enginecylinder is such that the heat transmitted from the cylinder to themanifold causes a continuous stream of air to flow past the inlet portand to carry away any burned gases that may escape through the inletport. This mode of operation insures that, when the pressure within thecylinder has been reduced below atmospheric pressure by the suctionscavenging means, only pure air is drawn into the engine cylinder.

Referring to Figure 2, 20 indicates a cylinder of an internal combustionengine in which a piston 21 is adapted to reciprocate. The cylinder 20is provided with an air inlet port 22 and with an exhaust port 23, thelatter communicating with an exhaust chamber 24.' The burned gases aredischarged los by any suitable evacuating device and, asy

shown inthe drawing, an ejector 25 is extended into the chamber 24 andis arranged to discharge the exhaust gases through a wardly past theinlet port. The manifold 27.

extends upwardly and communicates with a horizontally incllned conduit28, which may be semicircular to conform to the contour of the enginejacket and,'if, desired,may be arranged in close contact therewith. Theupper end of the conduit 28 opens into a chamber 29 which surrounds thediffuser 26 of the exhaust mechanism of the engine. This arrangementpermits heat from the engine jacket and from the exhaust gases to becommunicated to the air within the co-nduit 28 and the chamber 29 and,as a result, a. current of air flowing upwardly through the manifold`27, the conduit 28 and the chamber 29 is produced. The chamber 29communicates with the atmosphe-re through the annular opening 30 formedbetween the walls of the diffuser 26 and those of the chamber 29. Therespective walls may be so positioned with relation to each other thatthe discharge of the exhaust gases through. the diffuser 26 produces anejector action upon the air in the'chamber 29, thus increasing the flowof air through the manifold 27.

The operation of the device disclosed in Figure 2 is similar to thatdescribed above with relation to apparatusl of Figure l. As has beenalready pointed out in the above description of Figure 2, when theengine is in operation, air is continuously drawn through the manifold27 due to the heating` of the air in the conduit 28 and in the cham'-ber 29, and an added current of air may be induced through the manifoldb-y associat-.

ing the exhaust of the burnedfgases with the discharge of air from thechamber 29 so as to produce an ejector action. It is obvious that undercertain conditions, it may not be necessary or desirable to utilize allthree of the means above recited for producing a current of air past theair inlet port. It may be, under certain conditions of operation, thatany one or the combination of' any two of the current producing meanswill provide an amp-le current of air past thc air ports. In cases,however,where the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere isrelatively high, as in engine rooms of marine power plants, it may bedesirable to utilize all .of these means, viz; the heat of the enginejacket, and kinetic and heat energy of the exhaust gases for maintaininga suitable current through the air passages.

It is app-arent that other means than those described herein forcarrying a circulation of air past the air inlet ports may be employedstandard engine without material inodfica l tion of the enginestructure.

.My improved construction is also capable of use with other ty es ofengines than that illustrated. Interna combustion engines of varioustypes, including those in which mechanically-operated valves areemployed, may be equipped with my' improved air inlet mechanism withequally beneficial results.

While I .have shown my invention in two forms, it will be obvious tothose skilled in Y the art. that it is not so limited, but issusceptibleof various other changes and modifications without de arting fromv thespirit thereof, and I desire therefore, that only such limitations shallbe placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as arespecifically set forth in the appended claims.

VVhatI claim is 1. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder havingan inlet port, and thermo- Siphon means for maintaining a current of airpast the inlet port, whereby gases eX- hausted through said inlet portare carried (aiway and are not drawn back into the cyliner. l

2. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having an air inletport, and means for utilizing heat generated in the engine formaintaining a currentof air past the inlet port, whereby gases exhaustedthrough said inlet port are carried away and are not drawn back into thecylinder.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a cylinder having an air inletport, a conduit supplying air to said port and means for utilizing thewaste heat of the engine for maintaining a current of air past the inletport whereby gases exhausted through saidinlet port are carried away andare not drawn back into the cylinder. v

4. The combination with an .internal combustion engine, a cylinderhaving an air inlet port, of an inlet manifold comprising an up-fiowpassage into which the air port opens, and means for maintaining acurrent of air through the up-liow passage and past the air inlet portfor the purposes set forth.

5. The lcombination with an internal combustion engine, a cylinderhaving an inlet p ort, of an inlet manifold into which the air portopens, means for utilizing a part of i the heat energy of the engine formaintain- 6. The combination with an internalcombustion engine, acylinder having an air inlet port, of an inlet manifold comprising anVup-iow passage into which the air port port, a manifold for carryingaway the.

burned gases from the exhaust port, and means for utilizing the heat ofthe exhaust gases within the exhaust manifold for maintaining a currentof air through the inlet manifold and past the air inlet port.

l8. The combination with an internal combustion engine comprising acylinder having an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, of a manifoldcomprising a conduit into which the air port opens, a manifold forcarrying away the burned gases from the exhaust port, and means forutilizing the heat of the exhaust gases within the exhaust manifold formaintaining a current of air through the conduit and past the air inletport.

9. The combination with an internal combustion engine comprising acylinder having an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, ofv

a manifold comprising a conduit into which the air port opens, amanifold for carrying away the burned gases from the exhaust port, achamber surrounding at least a portion of the exhaust manifold and incommunication with the conduit, the chamber and the conduit being soarranged that a current of air is maintained in the conduit and past theair inlet port for the purpose set forth.

10. The combination with an internal cornbustion engine comprising acylinder, having an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, of amanifold for supplying air to the inlet port, a manifold for carryingaway the burned gases from the exhaust port, and means for utilizing thekinetic energy of the gases in the exhaust manifold for maintaining acurrent of air through the inlet manifold and past the air inlet ports.

11. The combination with an internal combustion engine comprising acylinder havin an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, o a manifoldcomprising a conduit into which the air port opens, a manifold forcarrying away the burned gases from the exhaust port, a chambersurrounding at least a portion of the exhaust manifold, the chamberbeing in communication with the conduit, the exhaust manifold andchamber being so arranged that the gases discharged from the exhaustmanifold produce an ej ecting action upon the air within the chamber andthus create a current of air through the conduit and pastl the air inletport for the purpose set forth.

12. The combination-with an internal conibustion engine comprising acylinder having an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, of a manifoldfor supplying air to the inlet port, a manifold for carrying away theburned gases from the exhaust port, and means for utilizing both thekinetic energy and the heat of the exhaust gases within the exhaustmanifold for maintaining a current of air through the inlet manifold andpast the air inlet port.

13. The combination with an internal combustion engine comprising acylinder having an air inlet port and an exhaust gas port, of a manifoldcomprising a conduit into which the air port opens, a manifold forcarrying away the burned gases from the exhaust port, a chambersurrounding at least a portion of the exhaust manifold, the chamberbeing in communication'with the conduit, a portion of the conduitbetween the inlet manifold and the/chamberl lying contiguous to enginecylinder, the chamber and the conduit being so arranged that some of thekinetic and heat energy of the exhaust gases and the heat energy of theengine cylinder may be utilized for maintaining a current of air throughthe conduit and past the air inlet ort. p In testimony whereof, I havehereunto subscribed my name this 17th day of November, 1920.

ALEXANDER T. KASLEY.

